Fluid-compressor.



' said piston, whereby to secure a partial or ivrrn s'rnins ram 1 1 on'ron.

. EDWARD A. mix, or OAKLAND, onmroniim.

. FLUID-COMPRESSOR.

Specification of Letters Patent Patented Apli'. 3U, ll'llillfiApplication filed December 20, 1915. Serial No. 67,771.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. Rix, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California,have invented new and useful Improvements in Fluid Compressors, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to fluid compres sors No a1r or gas compressordelivers from its cylinders an amount of fluid equal to the displacementof the piston. The ratio betweeirthese quantities determines thevolumetric efficiency of the compressor. average industrial compressorgives from 40% to 75% volumetric efiiciency.

The object of my invention is to correct this deficiency in aninexpensive and efl'ective manner so that a compressor may underordinary conditions deliver a much larger amount.

This object I accomplish by providing in a fluid compressor a main andan auxiliary compression chamber or cylindersuch that the contents ofthe auxiliary chamber, compressed on the intake stroke of the piston,will be flashed into the maincylinder at or near the beginning of thereturn stroke of initiatory compression in the main cylinder prior tothe regular compresslon stroke of v the piston therein.

ble piston 11, and having a head 12 provided with the usual inlet valve13 and discharge valve 14:. These valves and the cylinder constructionmay be of any number or of any type. The piston may be reciprocated inany manner, but is shown as being propelled by a piston rod 15.

The lower part of the cylinder and piston The i is smaller-than theupper p'art, thus leaving a small compression chamber 16 opposite themain compression chamber 17. A. pocket 18, at the side of the cylinder,communicates,

- through a port 19, with said chamber 16 and forms therewith anauxiliary compression chamber. A flashing port 20, uncovered by thepiston at the lower end of its travel, connects said pocket with themain chamber and a similar port 21, opening to the atmosphere anduncovered at the upper end of the iston travel, communicates with theohamer 16. v.

For the best practical results I prefer to make the cubic. contents ofthe chamber 16 and pocket 19, when fully opened, each equal to one-thirdof the cubic contents of the main chamber 17, but any desired ratio maybe taken, depending upon the conditions.

'The operation of the device described is is as follows: If the piston11 in its upper position, as shown in Fig. 2, is made to descend, thefluid will be drawn through the inlet valve 13- and will continue tofill the chamber 17 until the stroke is finished. At

the same time the air in the auxiliary compression chamber will becompressed, and at the end of the stroke, with the ratio given above,the fluid will be compressed to fifteen pounds per square inch. When thedescending piston uncovers the port 20 the fluid in the auxiliarychamber, now under pressure, will flash into the chamber 17 and tend toequalize the pressures in all, which, with the above ratio, Willi resultin about four pounds gage pressure. The upward stroke then beginningwill discharge the augmented contents of the chamber 17 through thedischarge valve 14 and into the receiver. At the end of the dischargestroke the flash port 21 is uncovered to the chamber 16 and atmosphericair will be sucked quickly in, owing to the partial vacuum in .saidchamber.

With the before mentioned ratios, and measured with a meter, the fluiddelivered will be equal to 100% of the full capacity of the chamber 17at sixty pounds pressure, and 93% of its capacity at one hundred poundspressure; an increase of 30% over the capacity of a compressor withoutmy compensating arrangement. Actual measurement of the power consumed,with electrical instruments, showed that the 30% in- I noted between thepresent operation and that of atwo-stage compressor. If the cycle ofoperation is analyzed it will be seen that a two-stage compressor assuch com-.

presses all of its output in two stages and all work" done on thecontents of-the cylinders is done by the pistons, while in my deviceonly the augmented portion of the fluid goes through two stages ofcompression. The flash from the pocket 19 through port 20'into the mainchamber compresses the entire contents of the latter to a considerabledegree instantly and without any mechanical intervention. Moreover, inexpanding from the higher pressure in the auxiliary chamber to the lowerpressure in chamber 17 the air cools and absorbs the itisothermal, ornearly so, which is a most economical condition. This feature differsfrom the-two-stage in that no int-ercooler is used or desired, because Iwish to preserve the heat of compression in the auxiliary chamber andcause it to return its power by expansion work in the main ,cyl-' inder.

' In a four-cycle gas engine the cylinder is alternately an explosivepower cylinder and then an air and gas compressor. It is well knownthat, at high altitudes the power of agas engine decreases becausetheweight of air compressed is less and consequently the oxygennecessary to consume the hydro carbon is less, but with my compensatingconstruction this deficiency can be completely remedied by making anauxiliary cylinder operating in the manner hereinbefore describedfurnish an additional amount to offset the maximum altitude loss andregulate the amount the auxiliary cylinder will deliver for allintermediate altitudes by simply using a throttling valve, An aviatormay then be free from the dangerous vagaries which now attend'his motorat high altitudes. This device maybe attached to either a single ordouble acting, horizontal or vertical compressor.

There will be a partial vacuum in the auxiliary chamber after the upwardstrokehas progressed beyond the point where the compressed fluid thereinhas expanded to atmosphere, this vacuum will be destroyed by the openingof the flash port 21. However, there need be no vacuum at all if it isdesired to prevent loss of power for a check valve 22' may be placed onthe auxiliary chamber to allow air to enter whenever it is needed. i

of a compressor, of means to give an augmented charge or initial partialconipres- 'sion at, or adjacent to the beginning of the compressingstroke of the piston, and while thedrawing illustrates one embodiment ofthe invention the claims define the scope of the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim-and desire to secure byLetters Patent is i 1. A fluid compressor comprising in combination,acylinder, and a piston in said a cylinder dividing the same into a maincomheat of the flash compression, thus making pression chamber and anauxiliary compression chamber, said auxiliary compression chamber havingless area than the main chamber and said piston being operable duringthe major portion of the extension stroke to compress fluid in theauxiliary chamber and discharge the same into the main chamber only ator near the beginning of the compression stroke.

2. A fluid compressor comprising in combination a cylinder and pistonforming a main compression chamber and an auxiliary compression chamberof less area than the main chamber and independent of the iuclosure forthe piston actuating means, said auxiliary chamber being arranged tohave its contents compressed during the major portion of the extensionstroke of the piston in the main chamber, and communicating meansbetween said chambers whereby the compressed fluid in the uxiliarychamber is flashed into the main chamber only at or near the beginning01 the compression stroke of the piston therein.-

, 3. A fluid compressor comprising in combination a cylinder and pistonforming a main compression chamber and an auxiliary compression chamberof less area than the. main chamber and independent of the in- 125closure for the piston actuating means, said auxiliary chamberbeingarranged to have its contents compressed during the major portionof the extension stroke of the piston between said chambers controlledby the piston and adapted to be opened only when the piston is at ornear the beginning of its compression stroke in the main chamber wherebyto'initially raise the pressure of the fluid in the latter chamber, andmeans communicarting with the atmosphere and the auxiliary chambercontrolled by said piston andby the piston and adapted to be opened whenthe piston is at or near the begmning of its compression stroke in themain chamber, whereby to initially raise the pressure of the fluid inthe latter chamber.-

' 5. In a fluid compressor, the. combination of a cylinder, adiflerential piston therein forming therewith a main and an auxiliarychamber, a pocket in the side of said cylinder' forming a part ofsaid'auxiliary chamber, inlet and outlet ports for said main chamber, aninlet port for said auxiliary chamber controlled by the piston and adapted to be opened at or near the beginning of the extension movement ofsaid piston in the main chamber, and communicating means between saidchambers controlled by the piston and adapted to be opened when thepiston is at or near the beginning of its compression stroke in the mainchamber, whereby to initially raise the pressure of the-fluid in thelatter chamber.

6; In a fluid compressor, the combination of a cylinder having a maincompression chamber at one end and an auxiliary compression chamberformed intermediate the ends of the cylinder, a piston common to both ofsaid chambers and operable to compress fluid in the auxiliary chamberduring the IHZLJOI portion of its extension movement and discharge thefluid into'the main chamber only at or near the beginning of itscompression stroke in the latter chamber.

7. In a fluid compressor, the combination of a cylinder and pistonforming a main and auxiliary compression chamber, said. cylinhaving itsinner end open to the atmosphere and the piston acting to segregate the:iliary chamber from the open end of cylinder, said auxiliary chamberbeingarranged to have its contents compressed during the major portionof the extension stroke of the piston of the main chamber, andcommunicating means between said chambers whereby the compressed fluidin the auxiliary chamber is flashed into the main chamber only-at r nearthe beginning of the compression stroke of the piston in the latter.

8. In a fluid compressor, the combination of a cylinderhaving anenlarged closed end and a reduced open end, a diflerential pistonWorking in. said cylinder and forming a main and auxiliary compressionchamber in the enlarged end, whereby the contents of the auxiliarychamber is compressed during the major portion of the extension strokeof -the piston in the main chamber and discharged into the latter onlyat or near the beginning of the compression stroke of the piston in themain chamber.

9, A fluid compressor-including in combination a cylinder composed of anupper main. chamber and a lower auxiliary chamberof less area than themain chamber, a

diflerential piston having upper and lower portions fitting the main andauxiliary chambers, inlet and outlet ports for the main chamber, aninlet port for the auxiliarychamber controlled by the upper portion ofthe piston and adapted to be opened at or near the beginning of theextension move-' ment of the piston in the main chamber, andcommunicating means between said chambers-controlled by the piston andadapted to be opened only when the piston is at or near the beginning.of its compression stroke in themain chamber whereby to initially raisethe pressure of the fluid in the latter chamber.

10. A fluid compressor including in combination a cylinder composed ofan upper main chamber and a lower auxiliary cham ber of less area thanthe main chamber, a differential piston having upper and lower portionsfitting the main and auxiliary chambers, inlet and outlet ports for themain chamber, a pocket in the side of said cylinder forming part of theauxiliary chamber, an inlet port for the auxiliary chamber con-trolledby the upper portion of "the piston and'adapted to be opened at or nearthe beginning of the extension movement of the piston in the mainchamber, and communicating means between said chambers controlled by thepiston and adapted to be opened only when the piston is at or near thebeginning of its compression stroke in the main chamber whereby toinitially raise the pressure of the fluid in the latter chamber.

11. A fluid compressor including in combination a cylinder composed ofan upper main chamber and a lower auxiliary chamber of less area thanthe main chamber, a differential piston having upper and lower portionsfitting the main and auxiliary chambers, inlet and outlet ports for themain chamber, a pocket in the side of said cylinllO der forming part ofthe auxiliary chamber, an-inlet port for the auxiliary chambercontrolled by the upper portion of the piston and adapted to be openedat or near the beginning of the extension movement of the piston in themain chamber, an inlet'port i at the lower end of the pocket leadinginto the latter from the auxiliary chamber and a flashing port at theupper end of the pocket,said inlet and flashing ports of the pocketconstituting communicating means between said chambers controlled by theWitnesses.

EDWARD A. RIX. Witnesses:

ARNE Holsnour,

W. .W. HEALEY.

